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After the death of a Majapahit king or queen, a
commemorative temple or shrine was built and furnished with royal memorial
portraits. Rather than portray the physical likeness of the ruler, such
portraits would depict the king or queen in the guise of a deity, to reflect
that after death they had become one with the god. Among the various Hindu
deities represented were Siva, his consort Parvati, or sometimes a joint
portrait of king and queen together as Ardhanari, the...

After the death of a Majapahit king or queen, a
commemorative temple or shrine was built and furnished with royal memorial
portraits. Rather than portray the physical likeness of the ruler, such
portraits would depict the king or queen in the guise of a deity, to reflect
that after death they had become one with the god. Among the various Hindu
deities represented were Siva, his consort Parvati, or sometimes a joint
portrait of king and queen together as Ardhanari, the...

After the death of a Majapahit king or queen, a
commemorative temple or shrine was built and furnished with royal memorial
portraits. Rather than portray the physical likeness of the ruler, such
portraits would depict the king or queen in the guise of a deity, to reflect
that after death they had become one with the god. Among the various Hindu
deities represented were Siva, his consort Parvati, or sometimes a joint
portrait of king and queen together as Ardhanari, the half-male/half-female
composite of Siva and Parvati. At shrines that combined Hindu and Buddhist
deities, a princess or queen might be shown in the form of the Buddhist goddess
of transcendent wisdom, Prajnaparamita.

The serene expression and exquisite crown and
jewelry of this head are features common to many royal and divine figures. The
statue’s body would have confirmed gender and, together with the gestures and
attributes of arms and hands, would have enabled identification of the
particular deity.